But now we know that isn’t the case. Last night, once again, Martha did not say “you just don’t fit in.”

Instead, she just said “goodbye,” and that might be her catchphrase, if that counts as a catchphrase, which it probably does not. In any case, two out of the three weeks, she has not said anything about not fitting in. So it’s over. Let it go. Hell, I wrote 664 words on that alleged catchphrase, making an argument based upon poor evidence. C- for me.

This past summer, of her then-secret catchphrase, Martha initially said, “I think you’ll find it quite different.” And Mark Burnett said, “There’s a wonderful commonality at the end of every show that Martha came up with.”

Since saying “goodbye” isn’t that different, perhaps the “commonality” actually refers to her letter-writing. Her handwritten letters to the fired candidates has become the show’s signature way to send candidates on their way. And that’s definitely different than Donald Trump, who’s all, “Get out of my fake boardroom right now because if I see you again, I’ll going to puke on this dimly lit table and then Carolyn will have to clean it up.”

about Andy Dehnart

Andy Dehnart is a journalist who has covered reality television for more than 15 years and created reality blurred in 2000. A member of the Television Critics Association, his writing and criticism about television, culture, and media has appeared on NPR and in Playboy, Buzzfeed, and many other publications. Andy, 37, also directs the journalism program at Stetson University in Florida, where he teaches creative nonfiction and journalism. He has an M.F.A. in nonfiction writing and literature from Bennington College. More about reality blurred and Andy.

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reality blurred exists to cover television's most under-appreciated genre, reality TV, with original reporting, analysis, criticism, and curated information. It's edited by Andy Dehnart.
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